cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/4579

Throughout the Gaza genocide, testimonies have documented the Israeli army’s use of Palestinian women as human shields. These are not isolated acts by rogue soldiers but a systematic practice known to Israeli commanders and acknowledged by soldiers.

“They forced me to carry a drone into seven houses to film them, making sure they were empty of people or military equipment. My infant cried for hours while waiting for me. I begged them to let me breastfeed her, but they refused, continuing to use me as a human shield,” said Hazar Al-Sititi, 33, from Jenin refugee camp.

During the Israeli army’s ten-day siege of Jenin refugee camp in August 2024, soldiers forced Al-Sititi to leave her six-month-old baby behind and carry out their orders.

“They forced me to walk ahead of an infantry unit of about 30 soldiers, keeping a distance of ten meters between us. Then they ordered me to enter the houses, force the residents out, and film inside before the soldiers stormed in to arrest the young men they were after,” Al-Sititi recalled.

This was not a random act by a rogue soldier. It reflects a systematic military practice, carried out with the knowledge of Israeli commanders, as admitted by soldiers in a previous Haaretz investigation. “In the army, they know this is not a one-off event by some young, foolish company commander acting on his own,” one soldier told investigators.

Since the beginning of the genocide in Gaza, testimonies have emerged documenting the Israeli army’s use of Palestinian women’s bodies as human shields, following specific established procedures designed to protect Israeli soldiers from danger during ground operations and incursions into Palestinian areas.

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